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Tales of Monkey Island Full Review Chapters 1 - 5  

PC

Also available on Wii

This review tries to remain spoiler free

 Chapter 1 - Launch of the Screaming Narwhal

The long anticipated wait for Tales of Monkey Island to return is over; the game is now available and comes in three chapters, each chapter isn’t too long, though the whole package will entertain you.

The story begins with a very familiar scene, ‘Guybrush Threepwood’ the mighty pirate, has tracked down his captured wife, Elaine, who has been taken hostage by the vicious and notorious zombie pirate LeChuck. After a comedic rescue goes horribly wrong, Guybrush finds himself stranded on the un-escapable island of Flotsam, it’s up to Guybrush to save the day and find a way of the foreign rock.

The colourful graphics and nostalgic feel to the game flurry back when you set out within this first adventure, with plenty of humorous dialog, outlandish characters and quirky puzzles, however the controls are something to get used to, dragging the mouse in the direction you want Guybrush to move can be quite tricky, alternatively using WASD controls is much easier, and using the mouse to identify things.

The gameplay is the same style, point and click adventure at its best, but for point and click veterans this should be a breeze however newcomers may lack experience of checking literally everything you can see on the screen, with many hidden objects and clues that are vital to your progress nothing should go un-searched, fixed camera angles portray the entire scene perfectly, with the inventory hidden and not obstructing the scene, the inventory allows you to combine items or look at them more closely, sometimes revealing clues.

The first chapter remains consistent with its funny dialog and daft puzzles, as Telltale games nails it on the head once again, with the graphics being very cute and colourful, which allows for smooth transitions between scenes and fast loading times, also the extra bonus of an additional feature which is the treasure hunt mini-game in which you follow sounds to discover treasure, this mini-game isn’t overly impressive and fans of the series should stick to the single player adventure, if only the game was released as a whole game, rather than broken into five chapters, which means downloading each individually, however they aren’t big files, and the in-game help is limited, if you find yourself stuck on a puzzle, it becomes quite the brain teaser, which will satisfy some audiences.

Chapter 2 – Siege of Spinner Cay

At the beginning of this next installment of the series, Threepwood finds himself tirelessly in pursuit of his nemesis ‘LeChuck’ despite him no longer being a zombie pirate, he still has Elaine aboard his vessel, as this chapter provides a much deeper storyline and plotline than its predecessor.

Threepwood, with his possessed hand, is the centre of attention, as Doctor Marquis de Singe requires Threepwood for his hand, and hoping to unlock and discover some evil mysterious power that he can then use himself, Threepwood escapes the clutches of this mad man, but it’s not too long before a hired mercenary by, you guessed it, de Singe, Morgan LeFlay is the comedic mercenary who manages to duel with Guybrush and chop off his possessed hand, however upon return de Singe realizes he needs his entire body before being able to do anything…

Guybrush eventually finds himself reunited with Elaine, and LeChuck, just to be caught in the crossfire of another fight, at the port of Spinner Cay; this is the centre of the gaming chapter.

The gameplay is very similar, with players of the first chapter instantly recognizing the jungle style navigation, which is just as much of a labyrinth as before, though there aren’t many noticeable differences in this chapter, although the map system is confusing and hard to navigate properly, and the chapter does focus on item collection, and neglects its devious puzzles and action counterpart. However once you reach the end you’re one step closer to the next thrilling chapter.

Chapter 3 – Lair of the leviathan

In this chapter Guybrush finds himself in deep trouble as whilst aboard his vessel he soon finds himself staring a giant manatee in the eyes, until the beast swallows the ship whole and the crew along with it, but inside the beast Guybrush finds himself re-united with castaways and some familiar characters to him, as Guybrush must escape and continue his perilous adventure.

The gameplay in this chapter is much more confined, making navigation a lot easier to understand, the player is more constricted to where you can explore however this works, just like in the first chapter, the dialogue is still humorous and much more puzzle solving, fans of the series will most definitely enjoy this episodic chapter.

There are many less screens to navigate through, as mentioned earlier, which means a lot less confusing goings on, this is by far the best chapter yet.

Chapter 4 – The trial and execution of Guybrush Threepwood

With the ending to Chapter 3 leading you back to Flotsam Island, the inhabitants are too happy to see Guybrush Threepwood, and accuse him of many charges, unable to flee, he must defend himself in the courtroom.

After the introduction to Chapter 4, you assume control of Threepwood in the courthouse back on Flotsam, using your techniques and ways of your words, you must provide evidence to escape and be proven not guilty, or face charges.

This chapter plunges you straight into the deep end with strategic play, there won’t be much exploring to do, and each case you’ve been charged with must be dealt with individually, and with no obvious clues, this can prove difficult for some audiences and without references from the earlier chapters, this won’t make any sense.

This is full of laughs, as Stan returns as the prosecutor, in his weird quirky and humorous mannerisms, as many of the characters make a welcome return, and being the biggest chapter so far in terms of content, and very entertaining plot twists take the story very far, until it ends and leaves you begging for Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 – Rise of the pirate god

The end is finally in sight, you’ve got this far, but like all seasons, it must come to an end, and the end is as good as the start, and this finally puts you in the position to clear off yourself once and for all, and put evil to rest, without spoiling the plot, Guybrush must work with some of his adversaries victims in order to regain order and escape.

There are some fantastic settings in this chapter, each with their own unique atmospheric and artistic designs, with the wide range of characters to interact with the voice acting and the humour is at its best in terms of writing and animations; however you must have played the previous chapters to really understand the plot here.

Puzzles are still consistently fairly un-challenging, walking around, collecting something, finding where it goes and collecting something else, with a few conversational puzzles thrown in the mix that won’t challenge the hardcore Tales of Monkey Island players, though there is a few tricky puzzles that truly do challenge even the most hardcore players, however it seems that the challenge of this puzzle could have influenced a lot more, so it’s a shame to have such a challenge so late during the season.  

In the final test, things do get challenging, though jokes and humour break up the challenge and remind you that the game is mainly for laughs and not all that serious, but it does pose a threat on your logic and intelligence when LeChuck finally shows up for the final encounter.

This is by far the best chapter of the season, and has certainly left us wanting more, the plot ends with no annoying cliff hanger, just a nice ending that sets up the next season and another series of adventure for Guybrush Threepwood.

The good

-The magic of Tales of Monkey Island is still there, and though I’ve never played the original, I was soon caught up in the adventure

-The plot twists and turns with fantastic writing

-Each chapter is individually priced at an affordable price, or if you want to now buy it as a pack then expect to pay usual retail price for all 5 chapters

-Each chapter offers at least 3 – 4 hours gameplay, so overall at least 20 hours of gameplay

-Comical humour will get you laughing, although doesn’t neglect the story with pointless jokes, each is funny and relevant to the plot, and still keeps a substantial amount of gameplay

-Puzzles are extensive and sometimes challenging, however no other element has been added to the game

-Voice acting suits every character, and is always spot on, especially Guybrush

-The graphics are cute and colourful in every chapter, and are really easy on the eye with fantastic presentation

The bad

-Not much else to do after you’ve completed the chapter, the game offers a treasure hunt extra mode, however it’s not that much fun

-Some puzzles offer no help or tips and unless you’re very logical will sometimes leave you scratching your head.

The ugly

-Sometimes not too accurate as to where to investigate due to the background visuals

Summary

All 5 chapters are intriguing, each with their own unique spin, some chapters are better than others, though what you expect to receive from this timeless classic is exactly what you will get, Tales of Monkey Island is worth a play if your even remotely interested in any point and click adventure with puzzles, buy the first chapter on its own for a fraction of the price to have a taste of the game, the frivolity and acting is enough to sometimes make this game seem like an interactive movie, and is very enjoyable to play and get captured within the adventure.